The Victim and The Witness
by Naivette
Summary: SK; — Leaving without saying goodbye had been hard, but coming back to nearly witness her death was worse. — oneshot


The Victim and The Witness

**(Sora/Kairi)**

* * *

Everything had gone by in such a blur that her head was spinning in circles. One minute she was home, the next, in the middle of a city she hardly knew, Heartless surrounding her as she stood defenseless. Nobody was there to protect her and she had no way to protect herself, lacking in that category.

Staring into those glowing yellow eyes chilled her to the bone, and she felt her heart of pure light skip at what she knew was in her near future.

Death.

If not that, then a state of comatose, just like before. Except this time, she wasn't sure what world her vessel was located on.

He'd left months ago with their older best friend, the two of them having more duties to attend to for the King. It had been nonstop since a year ago, just after her seventeenth. Even on the break they had been dueling to keep themselves in shape, aware of the possibility of being called out again. However, that length of time hadn't been long enough. No amount of years would be, because she just wanted it to be her and her two boys, the perfect trio, united and together in a universe full of tainted hearts and empty shells.

The former couldn't be done to her, for her heart rejected the darkness. The latter was a better possibility, but she feared it would be more than just that. Even if she was a princess, she wasn't an exception to death.

A whimper escaped her when one of the black creatures slinked forward, in which she instinctively took a step back. That only put her in a worse position, however, the girl gasping when she realized she was surrounded on all sides, the enemies at least three rows thick.

Her periwinkle eyes located something moving in the distance, and she turned sharply, only to look up and see a dark blob nose-diving for her. A shriek escaped her throat just as she lifted her arms. The air was forced from her lungs, the back of her scarlet head pounding against the black pavement now beneath her. Slimy claws clung to her upper arms, pinning her to the ground. When she opened her eyes, she was met with a salivating mouth projecting a fierce hiss, which made her turn her head away as she released a whine.

Where was her hero when she needed him?

The claws pinched at her skin, and then she felt something sharp sting her shin. She hissed, lifting her head to see what caused it to only shrink back from a screech in her face. The pains came more frequently. They were first in her legs, and then she felt them against the backs of her hands, and then her shoulders, stomach, sides, and eventually her face.

Screams left her, but no one was there to hear them. The thunder roared above, drowning them out as the drizzling rain masked the tears that started to leak from her eyes. This was a mistake, going after her boys; the only thing she was going to gain was pain, and what she would lose was her life.

It went on for minutes that really felt like hours, torturous and painful hours. But even through her time of fear and despair she knew she wouldn't last that long. Her heart may have been strong, but her body was not—too small and thin to handle the cuts and scratches.

Something dragged along her side, a holler of agony leaving her involuntarily. She didn't dare open her eyes, knowing already what she would see: a swarm of black figures and yellow eyes, staring her down and surrounding her. Even the thought of it scared her stiff, not that she could move in the first place.

The fall of the rain against her skin, seeping into the cuts and pelting the bruises, and the screeches were all too overwhelming. Reality slipped from her grip, the sounds and feelings drifting and numbing. She was almost relieved to know that it was close to being over, and that she would escape this horrible nightmare.

Even so, her fading consciousness recognized a sound of metal, something clanging and meshing with a harsh vibration of vocals. The sound continued with an addition of defeated shrieks and pained screams, until finally she heard rushed footsteps against the soaked pavement. The weight above her stomach was knocked off, which only resulted in the claws being drug back and digging into her skin. The burning began again, and she moaned because of the intensity as she heard another sound of defeat beside her.

It was then that an arm found its way under her back and underneath her arms, lifting her from the ground and pressing her against something softer, warmer. Her head felt something cold as it rested against a shoulder, and she briefly registered it as armor before she heard a loud call to a shield right beside her, the word "protect" ringing in her ears.

Right after the command she felt the arm wrapped around her tighten, pressing her even more securely against the person's figure. Once she felt her feet leave the ground, she understood why; gravity didn't bring them down until a few seconds later, but once they touched the pavement, she was forced to move again. Another arm swung underneath her legs and she was at somebody's chest. She tried opening her eyes, but she was too weak and the rain blurred whatever she could see.

A grunt rumbled in the figure's chest, followed by quick breaths as they moved. She registered that whoever was carrying her was running away from the area, escaping the creatures that had attacked her. She didn't care, though, relieved to be getting away, finding security in this mysterious person.

The rain pelted her even more as it poured down from the dark clouds above, but it disappeared after a moment. She heard it hitting something above her, but she still felt the cold air, which meant she was still outside. But then there was a rough jerk behind her head. The creak that followed was enough to tell her that whoever was holding her entered a building.

The person carried her over to one side of the room, setting her down on a chair. The contact hurt her, the fabric rubbing against her wounds. Her head lolled to the side from her weakness, but a warm hand caught it, holding the side of her face.

"Look at me," the voice said. It was deep and warm, one she thought she recognized. She struggled to open her eyes, the idea of unconsciousness appealing. "Kai, _look at me_."

The command was enough to convince her that she needed to see this person, see who he was. When she finally managed to lift her eyelids, her periwinkle eyes landed on a pair of azure blue. His spikes were dark brown, heavy with water from the weather. It was his expression that she noticed the most, though—anxiety mixed with anger, as well as sadness.

"…Sora," she managed, and he used his hands to push her wet burgundy hair out of her face. He found her… Her hero rescued her.

"Oh God, Kairi..." His eyes darted over her form, moving from her face down to her torn shirt and shorts, then dancing over the gashes and scrapes in her skin. She tensed when she remembered the pain she experienced, her wounds burning now that she was aware of them. The blood was briefly noted, the sight of it nearly making her sick. So instead she focused on his face, seeing the worried crease in his forehead.

"You're nuts," Sora declared, voice soft but choked. "What were you _thinking_, Kairi?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, voice shaking. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest and her head was spinning; listening to him scold her was a challenge, but she knew she deserved it. It'd been idiotic of her to think she could find him without running into trouble.

Sora shook his head. "I wish I could've found you sooner, but I'm just happy I got to you before…" He closed his eyes and shut his mouth, stopping there. Kairi knew what he was about to say, but she didn't complete the sentence for him. It would've been too hard to admit.

She watched him reach into one of his large pockets and pull out a vile of green liquid, and she knew exactly what it was. "Drink this," he told her, pulling out the cork and handing it to her. Kairi weakly brought it to her lips and swallowed what she could, feeling a difference in her body as soon as it hit her bloodstream. It would only be a matter of time before her wounds closed up and her strength fully returned to her. Until that happened, she would stay with him with what little energy she had.

Sora stood up from his place in front of her and walked over to a counter in what appeared to be a lobby. There was a box of tissues there and he grabbed them, as well as a trashcan before coming back. He squatted down in front of her like before and started wiping away her blood, avoiding her injuries. She didn't watch the action, hating the sight of blood, so she kept her eyes on him.

He'd been gone for months, and even though he had gotten wiser and matured over the last few years, she found him unrecognizable with the grave expression on his handsome features. She remembered seeing it years ago, when they were here, in The World That Never Was, and Kingdom Hearts was at risk. It'd been a side of Sora she hadn't really seen before, and even now it was hard to adjust to.

It made her think the Sora she loved was gone.

Even with the expression, she knew it was just a mask. Deep down, her Sora existed; he was showing himself now, cleaning her up like this. She expected him to be so much angrier with her, but it had only been a few minutes since he took her away from the creatures. Her time would be up eventually.

She winced when he swiped at one of her wounds, and his grip on her wrist tightened. "Sorry," he muttered in apology, and she wordlessly nodded, too hung up on the pain to reply verbally. Kairi knew that she was stupid; who was she to think that she could actually _survive _in a world like this? Someplace so...disheartening and _dark_?

Of course, she was a princess. She had the squeaky-clean reputation and naive mind to go along with the title, and that was all she was. Apart from her pure heart, that was why the Heartless attacked her —they despised the light that was inside her, but they also fed off her innocence.

And Sora…

His Keyblade must have attracted them as well. _It's like a homing beacon,_ she'd heard Riku say once, when she actually had the opportunity to ask what the Keyblade truly was. However, she knew there was another side to the weapon. It was like a form of guidance that led Sora and Riku straight to where the trouble was, that way they could rid the worlds of it.

Maybe that was how he found her. His heart sensed the trouble.

"The potion seems to be working."

Kairi blinked, coming out of her reverie as she gazed at the boy knelt before her. She looked at him quizzically, but then her sights fell on her exposed skin, which was no longer bleeding. Instead, the wounds were healing, beginning to slowly turn pink in temporary scars. Of course, she wouldn't be surprised if she had a few traces of the attack on her skin for good.

"Not only are your injuries clearing up," Sora said, looking up at her. A small smile graced his lips, one that was warm and lovely. "But you're still with me. I…figured you would have lost consciousness by now." His smile dimmed a little at his own words, something she couldn't help but notice.

_I'll always be with you, _she thought silently. How could she not? She'd gone after him even when the odds were completely against her. She was dedicated to him, loyal and faithful. Kairi's feelings for this boy were too strong for her to ignore, and her heart told her to go after the one she loved.

And now they were together, even if it was under terrible circumstances.

Sora led her up the nearby staircase once he finished cleaning her wounds, taking her to one of the unoccupied rooms. No longer in such a daze, it became clear to Kairi that the building they were in was a motel. Conveniently, it wasn't in rough shape. The bed was in good condition, made to perfection and the pillows fluffed. There was a wide window on the opposite side of the door that offered a view of the area where she was attacked. Sora closed the drapes, obviously noticing the look on her features and taking the hint.

"You should rest up," he suggested, motioning to the only bed in the room with his arm.

"What about you?" Kairi asked quietly, voice slightly hoarse due to all of her screaming outside. He rescued her and tended to her injuries. Taking watch was out of the question.

Sora shrugged. "I've got some other stuff to tend to—"

"Don't leave!"

His blue eyes widened and Kairi instantly pressed her lips together, embarrassed by her outburst. Panic rose within her, and she couldn't help herself. Considering the person her plea had gone out to, nothing negative was said.

"You didn't let me finish," he said with a shake of his head. The smile on his face instantly washed away her fears, warming her heart. "I never said I was leaving, Kai." He nodded to the bed. "Now relax. I'll be right here, okay?"

Kairi glanced at the bed, and then at her company. There was no doubt within her telling her he was fibbing, so she nodded in silence. She tucked herself into the bed under Sora's watch, who sat at the end of the mattress and pulled something out of his pocket. He brought the device to his ear, speaking into it after a moment.

"Hey. Sorry I left without warning," he started. There was a pause. "Would you chill out? I'm fine. I had an emergency…" There was another delay in his side of the conversation. "Uh…well…" Sora turned around to glance Kairi's way, and once he caught her eye, he instantly twisted back to the front.

Obviously the conversation switched over to her.

"…No, I—" Pause. "Would you just let me—ugh! Stop rambling! Do I sound like I speak Al Bhed?" His shoulders slumped, a sigh escaping his mouth. "…Don't worry about it, Riku. I'll take care of it."

"Riku?" Kairi squeaked, sitting up in her spot. Sora turned to look over his shoulder at her, but continued talking.

"No, that was no one… I told you, don't worry about it." The boy rolled his big blues, but didn't take the device away from his ear. After a moment, he had the chance to speak again. "Look, I need to go. I have some business to take care of. I'll call you when I'm finished." He pulled the device away from his ear, and Kairi briefly heard a muffled voice on the other end before he snapped it closed.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at the item in his hand.

"Oh, this?" Sora held it up slightly, and when she nodded, he smiled a little. "Another one of Scrooge McDuck's multi-universal inventions. Worth millions." He shoved it into his pocket, hiding it from her sight. "Luckily the King got me and Riku these without charge. They come in handy."

"Oh…"

"Yup. Now you should get some sleep. You'll feel better after you wake up; the potion will have taken full effect by then." Sora offered her a comforting smile, but Kairi shook her head, making it fade away.

"I don't want to sleep," she said. "I…I've wanted to see you for so long, Sora…"

He lowered his sight to the mattress at that, before he turned his back to her completely as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Kai…" he started softly, but then he sighed. When he spoke again, his voice was much rougher. "You should've stayed home."

She blinked. "But, Sora, I—"

"I asked you to stay in one place, just this once," he said. "The one time I ask you to do this for me, you go against it." One of his hands balled into a fist, and Kairi's eyes widened. "…How did you get here anyway?"

"A…a Star Shard," she replied with hesitance. "I found it in the Secret Place."

Sora whirled around at that, eyes alert. "A Star Shard? How did you…?" He shook his head, flustered. "Kairi, those things haven't been used in over ten years! How were you able to use that so easily?"

"I-I don't know," she admitted softly, glancing away from his gaze. It was powerful, something she'd never witnessed or experienced before.

"Well, we need to figure it out so you can get back to the Islands," Sora replied. "It's far too dangerous for you here."

"Sora, no! I don't want to leave when I just found you!"

"It doesn't matter, Kairi."

"Yes, it does. To _me_ it does," she declared. "I don't understand why that's so hard to comprehend."

"You almost got yourself _killed_!" Sora's voice had risen to such a level that Kairi shrank back against the headboard of the bed, her periwinkle eyes wide in both surprise and fear. He was standing up from his seat now, at the end of the bed. "…That doesn't mean _anything_ to you?"

"I-I…"

Sora shook his head. "Forget whatever you planned to do here, Kairi. You're going home. I'll make sure of it, if it's the last thing I do."

Kairi frowned, her eyebrows pulling together as she sat up a little more. After coming all this way, after dealing with all of those Neoshadows…nearly _dying, _there was no way she was going home now. "What about Riku?" she said, voice stern. "What if he wants to see me?"

"If he sees you he'll tell you exactly the same thing," Sora said, turning around to look at her across his shoulder. "If there's one thing Riku and I can agree on, it's your safety."

"What if I'm safer with you?"

Sora's hard expression faltered at the question, but he instantly recovered; his eyebrows furrowed and he turned his head to stare at the ground. "Out of the question."

"Why?"

"…The Keyblade brings nothing but trouble," he stated lowly. "And so does its wielder."

Kairi's eyes softened, the words causing her to believe that Sora was doing anything but telling the truth. "You don't mean that…"

"Kairi." Sora turned his head so his gaze fell upon hers, azure eyes shining with knowledge beyond his youth. "I've been Keyblade Master for the last four years. _Four years_. That's long enough to know that even the Keyblade has its downsides."

"…Like what Riku said? About it being a homing device?"

He nodded. "Exactly. It's like I'm walking on thin ice every single day. I'm either chasing the Heartless or they're chasing me… There's no stopping it."

"But…what if there wasn't any darkness in people's hearts? Would that make them go away?"

"Figuratively speaking," Sora said with a curt nod. "But you can't have one without the other. Every light casts a shadow."

Kairi lowered her gaze to the covers over her legs, contemplating what the boy she loved just told her. The Keyblade he wielded was one of light, meant to perish the darkness. However, if that darkness never fell, the Keyblade had no real use, did it? It was just…a waste?

"Riku knows that just as well as I do," Sora continued after a moment. "That's why he'll agree with me when I say that you need to go home."

Kairi closed her eyes, exhaling a soft breath. That was the last news that she wanted to hear, wanting nothing more than to be under the direct protection of somebody that meant the world to her. His company comforted her and made her feel safe. But that didn't seem to mean anything to him.

"…Why won't you let me stay?" she finally asked, voice faint with the fear of his anger, and his answer.

"We've already covered this, Kairi. Don't make me say it again."

"The real reason, Sora." Kairi lifted her head, determined eyes resting on his face. "Tell me why you really don't want me here."

Sora's eyes lightened with their stare, the question causing his features to weaken with the effort to stay firm. He turned his head away again, looking over at the window he had closed before. To Kairi's dislike, he didn't utter a single word in response.

"Please," she begged softly.

His fingers curled to form a fist again at the plea, and she knew that he was struggling with himself to give her an answer. Finally, though, he did. "I'm scared."

"Scared?" Kairi repeated. "Of what?"

Sora shook his head a little, not giving a verbal response. Instead, he silently approached the window and pulled the drapes aside to reveal the skyscraper. Sheets of rain blurred the neon lights against it, but it was clear enough to make out.

"Too many bad things have happened out there," Sora started, leaning his shoulder against the wall as he stared out the window. "Riku and Roxas battled there while I was asleep, and Riku gave into the darkness... He did it to wake me up."

Kairi could only gaze at him, silently listening, at the same time remembering what had happened in their connected pasts.

"And then I met Roxas there myself," he went on. His voice grew somewhat softer, the boy getting lost in the past encounters. "'You make a good Other…'" He smiled weakly. "Sometimes I wonder if Roxas would have done a better job with all of this than me. He wasn't as easy to fool, from what Riku's told me." At that, Sora's expression did a one-eighty, his smile turning into a thin line. "…And Roxas ceases to exist because of me. I know he's…inside me, but it's not the same, having someone live through you when they saw everything for themselves before."

_Naminé._ Kairi's thoughts instantly turned to her own Nobody, the one who was within her heart as well. How could she neglect her? There wasn't any possible way, because sometimes she could sense the blonde, acting as a conscience of some sort. It was odd, but she understood perfectly well how Sora was feeling, and what he was thinking.

Sora's eyebrows furrowed then, a crease forming in his forehead as he glared at the area outside the window. "And then there's Xemnas," he said, voice low with hatred that had never dissolved after the Nobody's defeat. "I don't think I have to explain that. You were there."

Indeed she was, thanks to Axel. Regardless of whom it was that actually kidnapped her, it was the Organization as a whole. She had been used as bait, "the fire that feeds Sora's anger". The blue-haired man had explained that to her then, though he had been rather short. However, it was enough for her to comprehend. Sora had been in trouble then because of her.

"The point I'm trying to make is that all of that happened because of me," Sora explained. "And then today…with you and the Heartless…" His eyes fell shut and his teeth ground together as he stopped himself. "That was the last straw."

"How'd you find me?" Kairi asked. Nobody had been around, and she'd been there for so long… She was convinced that he wouldn't be there to rescue her the way he had.

"Our hearts are connected," Sora answered, lifting his bold eyes to her. "Yours called me here."

Kairi remained silent after that, stunned at his reply. Her heart had called to his own? She hadn't even felt it occur, and she assumed that it had been her fear blocking every other sensation within her heart at the time. But Sora, he knew, and he came running. How lucky she was for that…

"You…never really answered my question," she said when she found her voice, glancing up at him once more. She watched as the lightning came through the window and flashed over his eyes, giving them a sparkle that was nearly blinding.

Sora simply stared at her, numerous minutes passing before she couldn't hold his eyes any longer. Kairi linked her hands together over her lap, attempting to distract herself from her friend's powerful gaze. So much was expressed in those blue orbs, but right now they were hard to decipher.

The mattress gave in next to her then, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught onto Sora's battle attire. Her heard turned in curiosity, her eyes reflecting the emotion as she found Sora next to her. He reached over, one of his gloved hands covering her smaller ones.

"Sora?"

"I…" he started, but then he stopped. His eyes found hers then, and it was enough for her to catch a flicker of hesitance before it vanished into the deepness of his ocean-blue irises. He swallowed, as if gulping down any confidence that he needed to finish. "The reason I want you to go home…is because I'm scared that I'll lose you to the darkness."

Kairi's eyes grew at the confession, the beating heart within her fluttering. "What do you mean? Sora, you've never lost me to—" Her words were short-lived, because he had indeed lost her to the powerful forces of darkness in the past. Even if her heart had named him the vessel, _Kairi_ wasn't truly there.

He squeezed her hand. "Everything else has happened because of me," Sora continued. "You came after me and Riku, and the Heartless… I don't want anything worse than that. It was bad enough."

Kairi's eyes never wavered from his face, even if he wasn't meeting her gaze. _Sora's…afraid of losing me? _Everything they had covered was quite overwhelming already, but the information she just received was the biggest of all.

"So, please… Go home?" he asked of her then. "For me?" When his focus rested on her for the umpteenth time that night, she found it hard to even correctly form a response. The way he looked at her stunned her into silence, making her speechless.

She was going to miss those eyes.

Kairi nodded. "I will," she finally said. He was her best friend, but even more than that, he had a special place in her heart. She couldn't refuse such a sincere request, especially when he was looking out for her, as Sora had always done.

A warm smile graced his lips. "Thank you."

"But…can I see Riku before I go?" Kairi requested. "Please?"

Sora's expression didn't falter, which soothed her worries. "Tomorrow. For now, can you get some sleep?" He gave her a look, and she remembered that he asked that of her earlier.

"Okay." Kairi looked down at his hand atop hers and watched as he slowly took his back, allowing her to slink under the covers once again.

When she opened her eyes later that night, she saw her warrior right beside her, head lolled to the side as he slept soundly. He kept his promise, just like he always had.

He didn't leave her.

* * *

_I can't really say what inspired this. It just kind of...appeared._  
_I felt like creating something a little darker, so I hope it was enjoyable._  
_Read and review as you please. :)_


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